Soundsmith Aida MKII Turntable Cartridge
SKU: 12764559484

Soundsmith Aida MKII Turntable Cartridge

Sale price$1647.00 Regular price$1830.00
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Description

Soundsmith Aida MKII Turntable CartridgeAIDA MKII A triumph of Soundsmith Engineering, Stereophile Class A rated, a rarity at its price point and for good reasons. The Aida MKII employs a laser drilled Sapphire cantilever with ultra low mass Contact Line stylus; we did this to resolve the challenges of playing the inner grooves with the same level of confidence as the outer. How did we do this? The unique stylus shape of our CL stylus has a sharper playing surface on the faceted diamond,

AIDA MKII

A triumph of Soundsmith Engineering, Stereophile Class “A” rated, a rarity at its price point – and for good reasons.

The Aida MKII employs a laser drilled Sapphire cantilever with ultra-low mass Contact Line stylus; we did this to resolve the challenges of playing the inner grooves with the same level of confidence as the outer. How did we do this? The unique stylus shape of our CL stylus has a “sharper” playing surface on the faceted diamond, allowing it to ride easily into the groove modulations of even the most difficult passages and high frequency information that other cartridges simply cannot trace. The result — a truly superb cartridge, surpassing top MC designs with air, focus and sound staging no cartridge at this price should be able to achieve.

The Aida cartridge is a Stereophile A-rated cartridge, meaning it is in the "price is no object" category and was the cheapest cartridge there.

Soundsmith carefully hand-builds every cartridge, tests them, and keeps accurate records by serial number of their performance. Those that meet or exceed specifications are sold, and the ones that don't are broken down and recycled. 

Soundsmith took moving iron technology and perfected it. This design offers lower effective moving mass, causing the stylus to stay in better contact with the groove walls. High-gain moving coil preamps are not required, as the Aida is designed to be used with a moving magnet preamp.

New EM Series DEMS Design

What is DEMS??

“Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.” – Peter Ledermann.

2018’s RMAF show was the official launch of Soundsmith’s new ES series of cartridges, where the attendees experienced the latest exploration into overlooked areas of cartridge design and solutions from Soundsmith.

The ES line features not only a dramatic new look, but is a significant evolution of the DEMS system design (Dynamic Energy Management System). The new Soundsmith ES cartridge designs are a significant advancement in cartridge performance due to their ability to direct internal vibrational forces without reflection and disperse them properly to the tone arm. The absence of reflections enables the stylus to stay in far greater statistical contact with the groove walls — a critically important technical refinement. Increased liquidity and reduced “grain,” without loss of detail are some of the immediately discernible advantages of Soundsmith’s new ES models.

The new line also features Azimuth adjustment built-in to each cartridge, as well as the option for electrical isolation for hum-prone systems. (see picture below)

Every cartridge in Soundsmith’s lineup will now feature our sleek new ES body design. The upgrade is far more than cosmetic; the new shape is a departure from the reflective and “boxy” design of many cartridges whose internal construction contribute to uncontrolled vibrational issues adversely affecting performance. Peter says, “Think of how singing in an open field compares with singing in a shower.” Soundsmith has always challenged conventions, looking deeper into nuances of cartridge design that dramatically affect immediate and long term performance. These have included extreme reductions of moving mass and the use of novel materials and designs. The new ES lineup is a continuation of that research and development.

ES Series Mounting

The new ES has some special mounting features that you need to be aware of.

Sometimes when mounting on a grounded metal arm, a cartridge will create hum due to a ground loop. If you experience some low level hum due to ground loop, you can now solve this issue by using the two half-round white rods which are to be placed and used in the OUTER slots, seen on the top of the cartridge. Place them flat side UP.

The rods are made of Alumina, and are insulating, thus allowing ground isolation for your cartridge without compromising the crucial mechanical energy transfer into the tone arm. This energy transfer is maintained due to the use of Alumina, which has the same properties as aluminum, but is non-conductive. Due to the novel body design of the ES cartridge, electrical isolation can still be maintained even though you may use metal screws.

On tone arms that do not allow azimuth adjustment, it is now possible to achieve this adjustment by way of the ES series by using the one full round alumina rod in the center slot only, alternately tightening and loosening the mounting screws by small amounts.

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 12764559484

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Teri McLaughlin
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Highly Recommend!
Color: Pure White
Between the product and the customer service I've received I feel compelled to write this positive review. First this forther that I randomly purchased due to the multiple whisk options is the most powerful rechargeable forther I found to date. I've purchased many in the past but this by far works the best. Detachable whisks are optimal for mixing options and easy cleaning. But the real star was the customer service I received when I had a slight issue. FoodVille could not have been more helpful or accommodating. I cannot recommend this product enough and the outstanding customer service I received from FoodVille was an unexpected and pleasant surprise, especially in this day and age. Do yourself a favor if you're in the market and purchase this forther you will not be disappointed.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2026
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Amazon Customer
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Foodville is excellent
Color: Turquoise Green
The Foodville frother is quiet, stylish, comfortable to hold, easy to clean and keeps a charge a long time. It has 3 speeds but is powerful even at low speed. I have it in turquoise and use it everyday to make oatmilk lattes. The battery failed after a couple months but when I reached out to Foodville, they shipped a replacement immediately and followed up to make sure I received it. I was so surprised with the excellent customer service that it was nearly disorienting - nothing at all like a maddening no-exit loop with a chatbot!!! I highly recommend this frother and the company behind it.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2026
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Courtney W
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 4
It’s possessed
Color: Coral Pink
My kitchen theme is pink and this was a perfect addition! Until it wasn’t! Fully charged it, and placed it in its holder ready for use the next morning. From my living room I heard a noise but of course blamed it on Rita (my cat). The next morning I go to make my coffee and the device is knocked over on the counter and of course.. poor Rita! The device worked fine, didn’t send my coffee into a tornado like some do, rinsed and placed in holder. Relaxing and enjoying my morning coffee and all of a sudden this noise happens again and I see the device is on and actively spinning in the holder!!! What the energy? I run to turn it off but it stopped before I can get there. Ok, let’s not panic. Next morning? Device is dead. So I recharge, and lay it on the counter buttons up. Later that night minding my own business, the device is now rattling across the counter!!! Ran over to it, pushed the buttons and it won’t stop! After about 45 seconds it stopped. I recharge again because it died, and the sad thing is still asystolic.. (no pulse), dead, gone. What the??? So I don’t know what to tell you! It looks pretty! Updated: The company reached out to me and I received a replacement within 2-3 weeks. The new one is not possessed or dancing across the counter. Good power, 3 speeds, 2 attachments (which I seem to use without the power - such as mixing spices). Thank you for standing behind your product in a volatile economic time.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
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Emeli
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Best frother!
Color: Ultra Violet, Color: Ultra Violet
Amazing customer service! I purchased this frother earlier this year and started using it for my morning coffee. It was amazing and froth up my creamer in no time. All three settings have their own amount of power. So I was very impressed with the speed. The froth texture is heavenly. After using the frother it is very easy to rinse the piece you used. I just rinse it and place it back in its stand. I think it’s very well worth its money. Unfortunately after 4 months the machine would not charge properly so I reached out to the company and within 24 hours, they replied and sent me a replacement. I didn’t pay much attention to the fact it had a 2 yr warranty! So grateful! Thank you so much for your help!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2026
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Rachel
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Powerful frother and g4ea
Color: Vivid Red
I love this frother, I bought one for myself and 2 others as gifts! It is super powerful, just the first speed is usually what I use for a cup of tea or coffee, the faster speeds work great for frother hot cocoa when I make a couple cups worth on the stove top. My frother attachment did crack at the top several months after purchase but the company immediately sent me a replacement piece which has been going strong for over a month now. Great handheld frother and company that stands by their products!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026

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